After WWE received backlash from fans on Social Media regarding WWE announcing the debut of the Fabulous Moolah Memorial Battle Royal this week on Raw, WWE has decided to change the name of the match.
The match will now be called “WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal”. Below is a statement from WWE regarding this:
“After further consideration, we believe it’s best to proceed with the name ‘WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal.’ What remains most important is that this historic match is part of WWE’s unwavering commitment to the Women’s Division.”
The fans also contacted WrestleMania 34 sponsor, Snickers, regarding WWE honoring Fabulous Moolah despite her past and below is the statement Mars Wrigley Confectionery US (parent company of Snickers) issued:
“We were recently made aware of the World Wrestling Entertainment Inc’s (WWE) decision to honor a former wrestler during the upcoming WrestleMania 34 event. As a principle-based business that has long championed creating inclusive environments that encourage and empower everyone to reach their full potential, this is unacceptable. We are engaging with the WWE to express our disappointment.”
It’s being speculated that this played a big role in WWE changing their mind.
WWE has even disabled the comments for the Fabulous Moolah Memorial Battle Royal announcement video from Raw on YouTube:
The Fabulous Moolah’s former trainee, Jeannine Mjoseth (Lady Maxine), gave her views on WWE announcing the battle royal named after Moolah and talked about how Moolah was a real life heel and pimped women out.
Below is what Jeannine said (credit to Pro Wrestling Sheet for the statement):
“The Fabulous Moolah was a real-life heel. A lot of women paid to train at her school and then went out on the road. They risked life and limb in their matches and she repaid them with the worst kinds of abuses. She skimmed their money, she ignored women who were badly hurt, she pimped women out to creepy men and on and on. She was not a mother figure. She was more like Kali, the Indian Goddess of Destruction. I met her in my early 20s and I had never met such a monstrous person.
I was smart enough to get the hell away from her and start my own independent career in Tampa as part of the Championship Wrestling from Florida. Luna Vachon, Peggy Fowler and I all left together, which I hope put a serious dent in her confidence, if not wallet.
I understand why Moolah was so grotesque. Her family was dirt poor and she determined that she was never going to be hungry again. But it doesn’t excuse her dog-eat-dog behavior. I’d much rather see WWE establish a named match for outstanding wrestlers (and decent human beings) like Susan ‘Tex’ Green, Beverly Shade, Leilani Kai, Wendi Richter, Princess Victoria or Joyce Grable. They all put their hearts and souls into wrestling for decades and helped others along the way.
But wrestling isn’t PC. It’s about generating heat. And you can’t draw more heat than naming a match for The Fabulous Moolah. May she be the last of her kind.”
